Vermont

Jonathan Roman

Name of State: Vermont

Name of Fossil: Delphinapterus leucas

Description:

• The state fossil for Vermont is a white whale or Beluga Whale known as Delphinapterus leucas. (Referred to as Charlotte whale)
• The state fossil is a toothed whale with gray-white to white color. The whale has a forehead knob shaped as a melon and lacks a dorsal fin.
• Males measure 4-5.5 meters and weigh between 1-1.5 tons while females measure 3-4.1 meters and weigh 0.4-1 ton.

Picture:

Time Existed:

• Vermont is the only state with a State of Fossil of an animal that is still in existence today.
• Although the state fossil for Vermont are white whales, Charlotte the whale is the skeleton they preserve.
• Charlotte the whale is 11,000 years old founded in Charlotte, Vermont on 1849

Preservation:

• Charlotte the whale was preserved in the blue clays and muds of Champlain Sea which a part of the Atlantic ocean that covered this area for over 2,500 years.

Who found the fossil/Why is it the state fossil:

• Charlotte the whale was founded by a group of construction workers during the construction of the first railroad between Rutland and Burlington in 1849.
• Charlotte the whale is the state fossil for Vermont because many thought it would make a great state fossil because it was an excellent educational tool to learn from.

Sources:

• Charlotte, The Vermont Whale: Our State Fossil. (n.d.). The University of Vermont. Retrieved March 24, 2012, from http://www.uvm.edu/whale/state_fossil.html

• Vermont State Fossil - White Whale (Delphinapterus leucas). (n.d.). 50 States - Capitals, Maps, Geography, State Symbols, State Facts, Songs, History, Famous People from NETSTATE.COM. Retrieved March 24, 2012, from http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/fossil/vt_fossil.htm

• Vermont State Fossil: White Whale (Delphinapterus leucas). (n.d.). e-ReferenceDesk - 50 State Learning Resource Guide. Retrieved March 24, 2012, from http://www.e-referencedesk.com/resources/state-fossil/vermont.html